Chapel St, Walnut Hills

Chapel St. is in a predominately African American section of Walnut Hills that's a few miles away from downtown Cincinnati. It's a short road that begins at Gilbert Ave. and ends in a culdesac just beyond Martin Luther King Dr. Despite its closeness to busy Gilbert Ave., MLK Dr. and a few other intersecting streets, there's little through traffic due to the reconfiguration of the street layout several years ago. It's a interesting street, but there are a few bars nearby and the area in general has a few crime problems.

Chapel St. has a variety of large and small older homes and a few multi-family dwellings. The street's claim to fame is the large Federation of Colored Women's Club Historic Clubhouse at 1010 Chapel St. built in 1888. When I was a young wife, mother and insurance professional, I was a member of "the club." I used to hang out in that beautiful old building but didn't realized back then that it was designed by Samuel Hannaford, the architect who designed Cincinnati Music Hall. Another residence he designed and built in 1885 is located at 1520 Chapel. Both buildings are on the National Historic Register.

The Harriet Beecher Stowe House (stowehousecincy.org) is a few streets away.

Giminneti Bakery and Restaurant is on the corner of Chapel and Gilbert. There are also a few fast food restaurants nearby and Andy's Mediterranean Grill is a few miles away on Gilbert Ave. Chapel is not quite a mile from the restaurants and galleries in the E. Walnut Hills Business district.

Chapel is walking distance to a small neighborhood park, Bush Recreation Center on Kemper Lane and a short drive from Eden Park and Mt. Adams. There's a small Kroger and a CVS a few minutes away. It's a 10 minute drive to U C., Xavier, Walnut Hills High. Frederick Douglas Elementary (douglass.cps-k12.org) Pre-8 is walking distance on Park Ave. A person living on Chapel St would have most of what they need nearby.